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“No! Damn it, I’m not done yet!”
“Bones-”
“Don’t touch me Jim! I’m not leaving this man to die.”
Doctor McCoy furiously pulled his arm out of Captain Kirk’s grip and continued to treat the dying man in the bed next to him. He was deaf to the tremendous sound of groaning walls and oblivious to the pipes breaking in the ceiling, water beginning to flood under their boots.
“Judging by our surroundings, this building will be flooded in less than twenty minutes, Doctor.” Spock had to shout over the noise to be heard.
McCoy’s hands worked rapidly to treat the battered man. “Fine!” He snapped. After several more seconds, he bent down, and attempted to carry the man over his shoulder, but his knees buckled slightly and he struggled to stand.
Instantly, Spock came to his other side, and maneuvered the man so he bore most of the weight. McCoy was doubled over with the effort and barely had air to whisper, “thank you, Spock.”
Kirk had been signaling nonstop to the Enterprise via his communicator, to no avail. They were too deep underground to get a signal. Once he saw that his friends were finally mobile, he waved them across the room, heading to the exit. Spock followed, shifting the man so his torso was slumped over his shoulder. McCoy brought up the rear. Both his eyes and tricorder were locked on his patient, monitoring him with every step.
“Stop! Damn it Spock, slow down!” McCoy yelled after about five minutes of walking, rushing up directly behind the first officer.
“Are you crazy Bones?! We’re going to die down here if we stop!” Kirk shouted. The water was up to their thighs now, and showed no sign of slowing down. Blood was dripping down Spock’s back from the injured man, staining his blue science uniform and turning it purple. His wounds clearly had been reopened.
“Please, let me just try-” McCoy shouted back angrily.
“Keep walking Spock, that’s an order!” Kirk barked. McCoy surged forward so he was just a few inches behind Spock, waving his tricorder around the slumped older man and injecting him with a fresh hypo. Sweat dripped from his brow, but there was otherwise no indication of the stress and fear that pumped through McCoy.
“We are almost there, Doctor.” Spock, somehow sensed his desperation, and spoke firmly. “He will recover on the Enterprise.”
McCoy did not respond.
Both men heard Kirk swear, about ten feet in front of them.
Once they reached him, McCoy swore as well.
“Jim, can you remind me again how you beat that no-win scenario in the academy?”
The three officers stood in a line, facing two paths ahead of them. McCoy distinctly remembered walking though this passage earlier, and he knew that one led to the surface and the other to the lower level, but at a slow rate. If they chose incorrectly, the tunnel would not begin to descend for almost 300 meters, and by that time, the water would be almost covering them, too late to turn around. A wrong choice meant death.
Spock was taking readings on his tricorder, brow furrowed. “The readings are inconclusive. Too many of the tunnels have collapsed.”
Jim nodded. “Well, we can’t overthink this.” The water was at their midriffs.
“Spock, you and Bones take right. I’ll take left. And hurry! If you run, you might have time to turn around. There’s even a chance our comms signal might get through.” Kirk’s face was hard. All three men knew the truth. The Captain hugged the two of them briefly and fiercely. “It’s been an honor to serve with you both. Make it back alive. Don’t let Spock boss you around too much, Bones.”
McCoy couldn’t speak, he just squeezed Jim’s shoulder and nodded, face screwed up in emotion.
Kirk turned to Spock and began, “I want you to know-”
“That we are running out of time, Jim. Go.” He raised Kirk’s hand and kissed his first and middle fingers gently, eyes glued to his Captain.
Kirk’s eyes filled with tears, but he turned resolutely towards the left tunnel, and didn’t look back. Spock watched his retreating back, his face unreadable, then snapped back into reality.
“Doctor, can you take him?” McCoy nodded, and assisted in relocating the injured man to his own shoulder. “I’m going to swim up ahead and see where this leads. Follow me as quickly as you can.
McCoy nodded, too breathless to speak with the man crushing him. He began slowly walking after Spock, who had dived into the water. His steps were too slow. Even if this was the correct passage, neither he nor his patient would likely survive at this pace.
Long minutes passed. Slowly he struggled through the water, which was now up to his chest. He strained his ears for any sound or indication of Spock’s return, but none came.
“Doctor.” The man on his shoulder spoke raggedly. The hypo had worn off.
“Try to be still now, you’re in bad shape.” McCoy said soothingly. “It’s just a little bit further, then we’ll be able to fix you right up.”
“Doctor, which tunnel are we in? After the fork?” The man struggled to speak.
“We took the right one.”
He let out a groan. “We’re going deeper into the facility. The left tunnel is the only way out.”
McCoy cursed again. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
The Doctor’s hand flew to his utility belt, and when he found only a hypo, he closed his eyes, trying to stay in control. The communicator had fallen off at some point. He couldn’t warn Spock or reach Jim in time.
He opened his eyes. “Shit.” He said aloud. There was no time to agonize over a decision. He had to trust that Spock was moving faster than him and would have already realized they were going the wrong direction. Still, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled as loudly as he could, “SPOCK! THIS IS THE WRONG WAY! TURN ‘ROUND!”
He rotated his body, the man still clinging to his shoulders, hands locked around his neck. McCoy’s feet trudged forward one by one, but he found that the water was now pushing against him.
“The water will drain in the lowest section, if we get pulled down, we’ll never make it.” The man coughed weakly. “Thank you for saving me, Doctor.”
“Call me Leonard, Mr. Westlake.” He smiled. “I couldn’t leave you. Your son has been here treating you for weeks. I couldn’t let his efforts go to waste.” McCoy grunted. “Here, shift around me.” He moved the man to the front part of his body, so there was less of a chance of the current sweeping them both away. McCoy tried to take big steps, and use his arms to propel himself forward. The water was at his shoulders. Despite his fatigue, it was easier to hold up the man, who was made lighter by the water, when it was at this height. He tried not to think about Spock, who should have been back by now.
“My son? He was here?”
Grateful for the distraction, McCoy seized on the topic as he worked his way back through the tunnel.
“Yes. He came from Nimbus II when he heard you were ill. I met him when the Enterprise arrived a few days ago to drop off fresh supplies. He’s been here for weeks, working on a cure. We’ve been researching together. With our combined expertise, I’m happy to say that once we get out of here, you will be free of Lagorath Syndrome. You’re in the second day of treatment, and would be in better shape, had the facility not collapsed us.”
The man breathed loudly in McCoy’s ear as he struggled to speak again. “Did my son survive the collapse? Where is he now?”
McCoy paused, afraid to answer. The hesitation was all George Westlake needed to understand.
“No! No…” he began to weep. McCoy gritted his teeth, pushing with all of his might against the current.
“You’re not going to survive with me dragging you down, Doctor. Please, let me rest with my son.”
“No!” McCoy yelled. “I’m not wasting life!” He fumbled again with the utility belt, and prayed silently that his hypo still had something left in it. After changing a setting, he released it against his neck, which was now mostly submerged in water. Throwing the empty hypo behind him, he was pleased to feel an instant rush of adrenaline course though him.
McCoy picked up the pace, and after only a minute, they were finally free of the tunnel, and back in the main atrium. This time, they headed for the left tunnel. The man was still weeping on the Doctor’s shoulder, too weak to help push against the current, which was even stronger now.
“Three hundred meters.” McCoy said to himself. “Three hundred. That’s enough. Then it will slope upwards. Then we can get out.”
The walls were carved with designs, and McCoy found them to be useful handholds. He hauled himself through the water. After another minute of furious climbing, the water was covering his lips, sitting just under his nose. He moved the man up even higher on his front, so both of them could keep their faces above the water.
“Leave me, Doctor. Please.” The man shifted his weight, and before McCoy could stop him, he let go of McCoy, and was instantly shot back down the tunnel in the current.
“STOP!” McCoy shouted, and reached desperately for him. His hand barely caught the man’s leg, and he struggled to pull the man back towards him.
Suddenly, he felt a cold breath of wind lifting his hair. He turned, and saw glorious light ahead of him. They were almost there!
He dived underwater and used all of his strength to wrap the man’s arms around him once again and bring him to the surface. “Come on damn it, live!” He furiously pushed against the ground and bobbed in and out of the water, always careful to keep the man’s head above the surface.
“BONES!”
The yell of Jim Kirk echoed throughout the tunnel, and McCoy could not have been happier to hear it. He was getting weaker and weaker, the adrenaline already starting to wear off.
He saw multiple people coming towards him, wrapped together in a thick rope, Jim at the head of the rescue team. “Come towards my voice.” The water was almost to the top of the tunnel. McCoy took a deep breath, and dived underwater, pushing the injured father and himself towards his crewmates. Just a few more meters. It would be enough.
The last thing he felt was the warm arms of Jim Kirk wrapping around him, before he collapsed into darkness.
***
McCoy awoke to Christine Chapel shining a light in his eye. He squinted and blinked several times. He heard her sigh in relief.
“Doctor, welcome back to the Enterprise.” McCoy felt a small hand on his shoulder, and he fully opened his eyes, looking around the sickbay. Aside from him, the beds were all unoccupied.
Gulping, he asked haltingly, “Did they.. Rescue…?”
“Yes, Mr. Spock was recovered shortly after you came out of the tunnel. Everyone from Enterprise was saved.” She smiled at him warmly, but his face did not change.
“What about the people from the facility? What about Mr. Westlake?”
Before she could respond, the doors whooshed open, and Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock strode toward the Doctor.
Nurse Chapel patted McCoy’s arm gently, then retreated to make way for the senior officers.
“He’s in good health Captain, but probably shouldn’t go back on duty until tomorrow.” She said, head turned towards Kirk. He nodded his thanks, and she left for the back office.
Kirk swooped in on McCoy and gave him a backbreaking hug. The Doctor coughed and spluttered, caught off guard. “Goddamn it Jim, I’m fine!”
“That was close, Bones. Too close.” Kirk’s hazel eyes were soft, and he reached out to hold the hands of his first officer and Doctor, linking them together.
“Decisions like that are what haunt me at night. I can’t believe we all survived… well.. Except for…” he grimaced, and McCoy groaned. “Westlake is dead?”
Jim nodded. “I’m so sorry, Bones. He was already injured, then combined with the amount of time he spent underwater…” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you made it so far with him. You did everything you could.” McCoy’s face was stony. Jim glanced at Spock, who reached out and gently rested his first two fingers on the Doctor’s shoulder.
“Tell me what happened.” Spock said quietly.
McCoy laughed harshly. “I wasn’t strong enough, and a man died. You left us alone, right when I needed you, Spock.” He snapped his hand out of Jim’s gentle grasp, and pushed himself out of bed. He wasn’t totally steady, but managed to walk to the door of sickbay on his own. “I’m going to my quarters to sleep it off. I’ll be on duty as usual tomorrow.” He turned to go, then said grudgingly, “I’m glad you’re both alive.”
Over the next several days Dr. McCoy isolated himself from the rest of the crew, especially the senior officers. He ate alone in his office, and waved everyone away who approached him. As usual, Christine ignored his behavior, and sat silently with him as he finished his dinner over the sink in the research section of Sickbay. It was the fifth day since the away team had returned from Ohiko, where the Enterprise had nearly lost her Captain, First Officer, and CMO.
“Len, you actually ate an appropriate amount today.” Chapel was holding her own empty tray in her lap, legs crossed on her chair. McCoy rolled his eyes, scooping the last bite of corn into his mouth. He then deposited his tray onto a nearby empty desk, and wordlessly moved back to the microscope station he’d been glued to for most of the day.
“Did you talk to Spock yet?”
McCoy ignored her question, instead adjusted his microscope.
“Did you even go up to the bridge? They won’t know what to do without you hovering over the Captain.”
McCoy looked up slowly from his work and met her eyes from across the room.
“Look, I know what you’re trying to do. I’m just going through something right now, and need to do it alone.”
“Fine.” She got up and walked over to his empty tray, placing hers neatly on top of his. She folded her arms and looked at the older Doctor. “Can you at least tell me what you’re working on? Maybe I could help.”
He sighed and stepped back, then gestured tiredly at the microscope. After about a minute, Christine sat up again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “This batch of white blood cells have a small abnormality. I assume you’re trying to treat them?”
McCoy actually smiled. “Your eye is as sharp as ever. When I was on Ohiko, I worked for a few days on trying to cure Lagorath Syndrome. The local Doctor and I managed to cure it, but I’m hoping to find a way for the drug to affect the cells faster, to speed up the healing process.”
He sighed deeply again and looked away from her. Chapel closed the distance between them and gently wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He stiffened at first, but then returned the hug.
“Did you lose the patient?” She asked softly.
“Yes.” He breathed. “And his son, who I was working on the cure with.” He pulled back, and swallowed, still avoiding her eyes.
“I’m so sorry. Losing a patient is never easy…” She trailed off, then it clicked. “You’re thinking about your father.” She hugged him again, squeezing tightly. “That wasn’t your fault, and I’m sure this wasn’t either.”
McCoy used the hug as an excuse to wipe away a tear that had escaped down his cheek, then drew back, swallowing.
“I just need some time to deal with what happened. It’s like I lost him all over again.”
Chapel picked up both of their trays, then turned back to him. “Usually, it helps to process events with the people who went through it with you. Maybe… just consider… sharing your perspective with Mr. Spock and the Captain.” She walked to the door with their trays.
“You know I’m always right about these things.”
McCoy narrowed his eyes and waved a finger at her. “Usually, but not always.”
Before she left she caught his eye, and he gave her a small smile.
***
Several hours later, McCoy pulled back from his microscope and rubbed his eyes.
“Computer, time.”
“The time is 0214 hundred hours.”
He sighed and began powering down the various computers and research aids, before popping the small tray of white blood cells into refrigeration in the back of the room.
He’d made little progress today, but hoped that after a few hours of sleep he could tackle this hurdle with a clearer head.
McCoy left the research lab and walked the short distance to the main section of Sickbay, and was surprised to see a light left on. Maybe Chapel was working late as well? He sped up, then groaned when he saw who was sitting on the end of the nearest bed.
“Can’t you take the hint? I’ve been avoiding you both all week for a reason.” McCoy tried to be stern and cutting, but his words came out quieter than he’d meant.
Spock and Jim were looking at him. McCoy hated how good they looked, like a couple of models in the low light, and how much his heart ached in their presence. Kirk’s arms were folded defiantly, and McCoy could see his muscles rippling under his navy blue nightshirt. Spock was in billowing blue robes, and had an eyebrow up, head cocked to one side, his eyes scanning McCoy as they stared at each other.
McCoy walked quickly past them, hoping to leave as quickly as possible.
“Lenoard.”
He stopped. It was Spock who had uttered his name, so softly, yet it glued him to the spot.
He didn’t turn, but heard soft footsteps behind him and felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder.
“I am sorry that I left you alone, and did not help to save Mr. Westlake, but I have to assure you that was not my intention.”
McCoy still didn’t turn around. “Oh yeah? What was your intention then? To hurry and rescue Jim instead?”
“Hey.” Kirk’s voice rang out sharply across the room. “You think you’re the only one that struggled in that cave? Spock was hit by a rockslide and nearly drowned!”
“Jim.” Spock turned to look back at his Captain sternly, who sighed and yielded the conversation back to Spock.
“It’s true.” Spock continued. “I found refuge on a ledge and waited for you and Westlake to find me, and we could wait for a rescue team together. I was deeply concerned when you did not appear, but was too injured to go back into the water to find you.” He paused. “ How did you know to turn around… that we were in the wrong tunnel?”
“Westlake.” McCoy said quietly. “He woke up and told me to turn around. I tried to call to you, but you were too far away.”
Spock’s grip on his shoulder tightened slightly. “He saved your life. You must feel guilty that he did not survive.”
McCoy grunted. “Oh I feel guilty all right. His son, Adam, worked tirelessly for weeks trying to find a cure for his father’s disease. Two days after he was cured, the facility collapsed, killing Adam.” His voice was rising with emotion. “I’m guilty because I told George Westlake that his son was dead, and he tried to drown himself.” McCoy’s voice broke, and at long last he turned to face Spock. “I’m guilty because I tried my damndest, and I still couldn’t save him, just like I couldn’t save my own dad.”
He flung his arms around Spock, head burying into his chest. Spock’s eyes softened as he looked down at the Doctor in his arms.
Jim joined them after a few moments tenderly rubbing circles on McCoy’s back.
“I’m an idiot.” Kirk said quietly and looked up at Spock. “He worked for years to try to save his father from an incredibly painful disease. Just a few weeks after he pulled the plug, a cure was found.” He looked back at McCoy. “You must feel like you lost him all over again.”
“Oh Leonard.” Spock breathed, and cupped a hand behind his head, pulling him closer.
The three men stood in the center of Sickbay, McCoy in Spock’s chest, Kirk resting his head against Spock’s shoulder, arms around both of his officers. Spock, as the tallest, holding McCoy close and his other arm protectively around Jim. They stood together for several minutes, comfortable in the silence and unspoken things that passed between them.
Eventually, McCoy somewhat collected himself, and drew back from Spock’s embrace.
He looked at the Vulcan, tear tracks staining his face. “I’m sorry I lashed out. When I saw that somehow all of us had survived, I realized there was nobody to blame for Westlake’s death but me. I know it’s not true, but I carry around the death of my father with me everywhere I go. I see him in every patient, every incurable disease….” He trailed off, closing his eyes, and a yawn overtook him.
Jim smiled sadly and clapped him on the shoulder. “Bedtime.” He wrapped McCoy in a tight hug, and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. “I really thought I’d lost both of you that day. I hated separating us, but if some of us are going to die, I’d rather it be either the Captain or the First Officer. Can you imagine what would happen if Scotty got command of the Enterprise? She’d be in spacedock getting upgrades more than she’d be out exploring.” He smiled and released his officers, walking towards the exit.
“Anyone fancy a sleepover? Our bridge shift doesn’t start until 900 hours, and everyone knows I have the biggest quarters.” Jim exited into the hallway, and McCoy was about to follow until he felt Spock’s large hand clasp his own.
“Wait.”
Spock pulled McCoy to his lips, and McCoy inhaled a small breath in surprise. He could feel the surface of Spock’s thoughts mingling in his mind and he relaxed at the second consciousness brushing his own. Spock brought their foreheads together, and he whispered. “I am sorry that I couldn’t save you. I was… distraught at the thought that I would never see you or Jim again. Those minutes waiting for you in the cave were… quite distressing.”
Spock could barely speak, and McCoy felt the truth and worry through their small connection. He was touched and surprised. The Doctor cupped Spock’s face and a look of wonder came over McCoy.
“You, Spock? Distraught over this old man?” He smiled shyly at the Vulcan, then kissed him again. Spock returned his kiss and drew McCoy closer to him.
Both men jumped as Kirk returned to Sickbay, hands on his hips. “Starting without me?!” He demanded, looking from one to the other.
“We’re coming Jim, hold your horses.” McCoy couldn’t keep the grin off his face, stealing a look at Spock, who too had the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
As Dr. McCoy walked just behind Jim and Spock to the turbolift, he couldn’t help but reflect on their relationship. For several months now he had joined the established couple in bed a few times, messed around with a Trill science officer or two. But the near-death experience he’d shared with them both had made the trio stronger than before. And that kiss from Spock… well. He’d never expected something like butterflies to be dancing around his stomach at his age.
The turbolift doors opened and Nurse Chapel exited, her eyes wide in surprise at the sight of the officers. “Captain, Mr. Spock.” She nodded at them, trying and failing to hide the smirk that worked its way onto her face.
As the lift doors closed on the three men, she called out “I told you, I’m always right, Len!”
McCoy rolled his eyes, grinning.